Gas fired cooktop and method of assembling

ABSTRACT

A gas burner assembly for a gas fired cooktop includes first, second, third, and fourth gas burners arranged such that the first and second burners are spaced with respect to each other at a first distance and the third and fourth burners are spaced with respect to each other at a second distance longer than the first distance. Each of the first and second burners have a power output greater than that of each of the third and fourth burners. A fifth gas burner is positioned between the first and second burners and between the third and fourth burners.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to gas cooking appliances, and, more specifically, to apparatus and methods for gas fired cooktops.

Gas fired cooktops typically include a top surface having one or more openings with a gas burner set in each opening. In addition, a number of raised cooking grates rest on the cooktop, generally above and surrounding the burners to provide a cooking surface spaced from the burner. At least some known cooktops include four burners arranged on the top surface in a compact pattern. Cooking implements such as pots and pans are placed on the stove grates above the burners.

Some gas fired cooktops also include a griddle component that is configured to either replace a set of burners or be positioned between existing burners. Accordingly, it may not be possible to use all of the existing burners for cooking with utensils while using a griddle. Alternatively, the addition of a griddle burner on some known cooktops will narrow the space between burners such that not enough secondary air is allowed to enter the burner for adequate combustion, and flame from an adjacent burner may impinge upon the griddle and result in excessive griddle heating.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, a gas burner assembly for a gas fired cooktop is provided. The gas burner assembly includes first, second, third, and fourth gas burners arranged such that the first and second burners are spaced with respect to each other at a first distance and the third and fourth burners are spaced with respect to each other at a second distance longer than the first distance. Each of the first and second burners have a power output greater than that of each of the third and fourth burners. A fifth gas burner is positioned between the first and second burners and between the third and fourth burners.

In another aspect, a gas fired cooktop includes a body and first, second, third, and fourth gas burners arranged on the body such that each of the first and second burners have a power output greater than that of each of the third and fourth burners. The first and second burners are spaced with respect to each other at a first distance and the third and fourth burners are spaced with respect to each other at a second distance longer than the first distance. A fifth gas burner positioned between the first and second burners and between the third and fourth burners. A grate frame is positioned over at least one of the burners.

In still another aspect, a method for providing a cooktop is provided. The method includes providing a body and positioning first, second, third, and fourth gas burners on the body. Each of the first and second burners have a power output greater than that of each of the third and fourth burners. The first and second burners spaced with respect to each other at a first distance and the third and fourth burners spaced with respect to each other at a second distance longer than the first distance. A fifth gas burner is positioned between the first and second burners and between the third and fourth burners. A grate frame is positioned over at least one of the burners.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary free standing gas range.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary cooktop for the gas range shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the cooktop shown in FIG. 2 including a middle griddle section positioned thereon.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cooktop shown in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a gas cooking appliance in the form of a free standing gas range 10 including an outer body or cabinet 12 that incorporates a generally rectangular cooktop 14. An oven, not shown, is positioned below cooktop 14 and has a front-opening access door 16. A range backsplash 18 extends upward of a rear edge 20 of cooktop 14 and includes, for example, a control display and control selectors for user manipulation to select operative oven features, cooking timers, time and temperature displays, etc. It is contemplated that the present invention is applicable, not only to cooktops which form the upper portion of a range, such as range 10, but to other forms of cooktops as well, such as, but not limited to, built-in counter units that are mounted to kitchen counters. Therefore, gas range 10 is provided by way of illustration rather than limitation, and accordingly there is no intention to limit application of the present invention to any particular appliance or cooktop, such as range 10 or cooktop 14. In addition, it is contemplated that the present invention is applicable to multiple fuel cooking appliances, e.g., a gas cooktop with an electric oven or other combinations of heating elements.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of cooktop 14. In an exemplary embodiment, cooktop 14 includes a body 22, five gas fueled burners 24, 26, 28, 30, and 32 arranged on body 22, and a grate frame 34 positioned over burners 24, 26, 28, 30, and 32. Body 22 has an upper surface 36, and a recessed area 38 defined on upper surface 36. Specifically, recessed area 38 is positioned below upper surface 36 of cooktop 14, and is surrounded by a front wall 40, a back wall 42, and two side walls 44, 46. As such, recessed area 38 serves to catch spills from cooking utensils (not shown) being used with cooktop 14. In one embodiment, front wall 40 is adjacent to a cooking area that would be utilized by an operator when manipulating gas range 10.

In the exemplary embodiment, burners 24, 26, 28, and 30 are substantially circular in shape, and are positioned on recessed area 38. Specifically, burners 24, 26, 28, and 30 are positioned in spaced apart pairs 24, 28 and 26, 30 positioned adjacent side walls 44, 46 of cooktop 14, respectively. Each burner 24, 26, 28, and 30 has a respective power output, and each burner 24, 26 has a power output greater than that of each burner 28, 30. In an exemplary embodiment, at least one of burners 24, 26 has a power output more than 11,000 British thermal units per hour. As such, burners 24, 26 having higher power outputs are positioned adjacent front wall 40, and burners 28, 30 having lower power outputs are positioned adjacent back wall 42. In addition, burners 24, 26 having the higher power outputs are spaced with respect to each other at a first distance and burners 28, 30 having the lower power outputs are spaced with respect to each other at a second distance longer than the first distance. As such, burner 28 is positioned closer to side wall 44 than burner 24.

In the exemplary embodiment, burner 32 is an elongated burner dedicated to griddle use, and is substantially centrally positioned on recessed area 38 and between burner pairs 24, 28, and 26, 30. Specifically, burner 32 includes a first burner end 52 adjacent front wall 40 and positioned between burners 24, 26, and a second burner end 54 adjacent back wall 42 and positioned between burners 28, 30.

The construction and operation of the range heating elements, including gas burners 24, 26, 28, 30, and 32 are believed to be within the purview of those in the art and therefore will not be discussed further.

In the exemplary embodiment, grate frame 34 substantially spans cooktop 14, and includes a left grate section 60, a right grate section 62, and a separately provided middle grate section 64 positioned between and adjacent grate sections 60, 62. In use, grate section 60 overlies burner pair 24, 28, grate section 62 overlies burner pair 26, 30, and grate section 64 extends between grate sections 60, 62 and overlies burner 32.

In the exemplary embodiment, grate sections 60, 62 are similarly constructed and each section 60, 62, and 64 includes a plurality of exterior frame elements 66, and at least one interior frame element 68 extending between exterior frame elements 66. As used herein, “interior” and “exterior” refer to relative positions in the overall grate frame 34 with exterior referring to outer edges of the overall grate frame 34 and interior referring to elements extending from and/or between the outer edges of grate frame 34. In an exemplary embodiment, each section 60, 62 includes an interior cross frame element 70 extending between and elevated from frame members 66, 68 and dividing corresponding sections 60, 62 into halves, and each half is dimensioned to surround one of burners 24, 26, 28, and 30. Section 64 also includes two interior cross frame elements 70 extending between and elevated from interior frame elements 68.

In the exemplary embodiment, each section 60, 62, and 64 further includes a plurality of utensil supporting fingers 72 extending inwardly from frame elements 66, 68, 70 and toward the corresponding burners 24, 26, 28, 30, and 32, respectively. Specifically, fingers 72 of each section 60, 62 extend substantially toward a center of the corresponding halves, respectively. Each finger 72 includes a substantially flat top surface 74 to support cooking utensils and implements (e.g., pots and pans) thereon, and top surfaces 74 of fingers 72 on the same grate section are substantially coplanar with respect to each other. In an exemplary embodiment, at least some of interior cross frame element 70 also include a flat top surface 76 substantially coplanar with top surfaces 74 of fingers 72 on the same grate section, and provide additional support surfaces between the neighboring burners for placement of the cooking utensils. It is recognized, however, that the configuration and arrangement pattern of the fingers and interior frame elements could be varied in alternative embodiments of the invention.

In the exemplary embodiment, and as illustrated in FIG. 2, when grate frame 34 is employed on cooktop 14, interior frame elements 68 of grate sections 60, 62 are abutted against interior frame elements 68 of middle section 64. Lateral exterior frame elements 66 of middle section 64 are generally aligned with lateral exterior frame elements 66 of grate sections 60, 62. In addition, at least some supporting fingers 72 of middle section 64 share a curvature of supporting fingers 72 extending from interior frame elements 68 of grate sections 60, 62.

Supporting fingers 72 and cross frame element 70 of each grate section 60, 62, and 64 are elevated from exterior and interior frame elements 66, 68. Thus, when exterior frame elements 66 of sections 60, 62, and 64 are placed on cooktop 14, fingers 72 and interior frame elements 68, 70 extend above cooktop 14 and above burners 24, 26, 28, 30, and 32. In addition, support fingers 72 and interior cross frame elements 70 of sections 60, 62, and 64 include generally coplanar top surfaces. As such, grate frame 34 provides a utensil supporting surface 78 over cooktop 14 and defined by top surfaces 74, 76 of fingers 72 and interior cross frame elements 70. The cooking utensils may be placed on utensil supporting surface 78, and further be slid across utensil supporting surface 78 to any desired position on utensil supporting surface 78 without lifting the utensils.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of cooktop 14 shown in FIG. 2 with an alternative middle griddle section 82 positioned thereon. Cooktop 14 is substantially the same as illustrated in FIG. 2, except that middle section 82 substitutes for middle section 64 (shown in FIG. 2). In the exemplary embodiment, middle section 82 includes two lateral exterior frame elements 84, and two interior frame elements 86 extending between exterior frame elements 84. In addition, middle section 82 further includes two slots 88, 89 defined at two ends thereof, and an elongated griddle plate 90 extending therebetween. Slots 88, 89 facilitate removal of middle section 82 from cooktop 14 for cleaning, maintenance, and/or substitution. Elongated griddle plate 90 includes a first end 92 configured to be positioned adjacent front wall 40 and burners 24, 26, and a second end 94 configured to be positioned adjacent back wall 42 and between burners 28, 30. Griddle plate 90 widens from first end 92 to second end 94. Griddle plate 90 also includes a recessed cooking surface 96, and a recess 98 defined on cooking surface 96 such that griddle plate 90 is located at a lower plane than a plane of burners 24, 26, 28, and 30 on cooktop 14. This location of griddle plate 90 facilitates avoiding interference of the cooking utensils being simultaneously used on cooktop 14. In an exemplary embodiment, cooking surface 96 generally has a normal cooking temperature of about 500 degrees Fahrenheit for cooking foods, such as hamburgers. Cooking surface 96 is coated with a non-stick material, such as a teflon material, which typically can withstand a temperature up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit. As such, the margin between the normal cooking temperature and the maximum temperature is small, and heat contribution from the adjacent burners to cooking surface 96 is undesired. Recess 98 is defined on cooking surface 96 at first end 92, and is used as a grease trap which facilitates collecting grease generated during cooking.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of middle grate section 82 mounted on cooktop 14 shown in FIG. 2. Middle section 82 is also positioned between sections 60, 62, and overlies burner 32 (shown in FIG. 2) in a manner similar to middle section 64 (shown in FIG. 2).

In the exemplary embodiment, supporting fingers 72 of each section 60, 62 provides a utensil supporting surface 78 over burner pairs 24, 28, and 26, 30, respective. Griddle plate 90 of middle section 82 is positioned below utensil supporting surface 78 of each section 60, 62. As such, interference between griddle plate 90 and a burner flame is considerably reduced, if not avoided as the burner flame is extended radially outwardly by a cooking utensil. A clearance or air gap is then provided between a bottom surface of a cooking utensil positioned above the adjacent burner and a top surface of griddle plate 90, such that heat and flame generated from the adjacent burners may pass therethrough and pass above griddle plate 90. Heat contribution from the adjacent burners to griddle plate 90 is then considerably reduced, and a normal cooking temperature of griddle plate 90 is well maintained below the maximum temperature for the griddle surface. Additionally, by positioning griddle plate 90 below utensil supporting surface 78, utensils positioned on the adjacent burners may extend above and overlap at least a portion of griddle plate 90 without disturbing the normal operation of griddle plate 90. This positioning reduces any interference of utensils being simultaneously used on cooktop 14.

While the invention has been described in terms of various specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims. 

1. A gas burner assembly for a gas fired cooktop (10) comprising: first, second, third, and fourth gas burners (24, 26, 28, 30) arranged such that said first and second burners are spaced with respect to each other at a first distance and said third and fourth burners are spaced with respect to each other at a second distance longer than said first distance, each of said first and second burners having a power output greater than that of each of said third and fourth burners; and a fifth gas burner (32) positioned between said first and second burners and between said third and fourth burners.
 2. A gas burner assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein the cooktop includes a front wall (40), a back wall (42), two side walls (44, 46), and a top recessed area surrounded by the walls, said burners configured to be positioned on the recessed area.
 3. A gas burner assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first and second burners configured to be adjacent the front wall, said third and fourth burners configured to be adjacent the back wall.
 4. A gas burner assembly in accordance with claim 3 wherein said first and third burners configured to be positioned adjacent to one of the side walls, said third burner configured to be positioned closer to the side wall than said first burner.
 5. A gas burner assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said fifth burner comprises a first burner end (52) adjacent said first and second burners, and a second burner end (54) adjacent said third and fourth burners, said second burner end having a greater width than that of said first burner end.
 6. A gas burner assembly in accordance with claim 5 wherein said fifth burner comprises an elongated griddle burner.
 7. A gas fired cooktop (10) comprising: a body (22); first, second, third, and fourth gas burners (24, 26, 28, 30) arranged on said body such that said first and second burners are spaced with respect to each other at a first distance and said third and fourth burners are spaced with respect to each other at a second distance longer than said first distance; a fifth gas burner (32) positioned between said first and second burners and between said third and fourth burners; and a grate frame (34) positioned over at least one of said burners.
 8. A gas fired cooktop in accordance with claim 7 wherein each of said first and second burners have a power output greater than that of each of said third and fourth burners,
 9. A gas fired cooktop in accordance with claim 7 wherein said body further comprises a front wall (40), a back wall (42), two side walls (44, 46), and a top recessed area (38) surrounded by said walls, said burners positioned on said recessed area.
 10. A gas burner assembly in accordance with claim 9 wherein said first and second burners configured to be adjacent said front wall, said third and fourth burners configured to be adjacent said back wall.
 11. A cooktop in accordance with claim 9 wherein said first and third burners positioned adjacent to one of said side walls, said third burner positioned closer to said side wall than said first burner.
 12. A cooktop in accordance with claim 7 wherein said fifth burner is an elongated griddle burner.
 13. A cooktop in accordance with claim 7 wherein said grate frame comprises a left section (60), a right section (62), and a separately provided griddle plate (90) positioned between said left and right sections and overlying said fifth burner.
 14. A cooktop in accordance with claim 13 wherein said grate frame further comprises a plurality of exterior frame elements (66), and a utensil supporting surface (78) elevated from said exterior frame elements and said griddle plate.
 15. A cooktop in accordance with claim 14 wherein said grate frame further comprises a flame clearance gap defined between said griddle plate and said utensil supporting surface.
 16. A method for providing a cooktop (10) comprising: providing a body (22); positioning first, second, third, and fourth gas burners (24, 26, 28, 30) on the body, the first and second burners are spaced with respect to each other at a first distance, the third and fourth burners are spaced with respect to each other at a second distance longer than the first distance; positioning a fifth gas burner (32) between the first and second burners and between the third and fourth burners; and positioning a grate frame (34) over at least one of the burners.
 17. A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein each of the first and second burners having a power output greater than that of each of the third and fourth burners,
 18. A method in accordance with claim 17 wherein said positioning the first, second, third, and fourth burners comprises positioning the first and second burners adjacent a front wall and positioning the third and fourth burners adjacent a back wall.
 19. A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein said positioning a fifth burner comprises positioning an elongated griddle over the fifth burner.
 20. A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein said positioning a grate frame comprises positioning a grate frame having a left section (60), a right section (62), and a separately provided griddle plate (90) positioned between the left and right sections and overlying the fifth burner.
 21. A method in accordance with claim 20 wherein said positioning a grate frame comprises positioning a grate frame having a utensil supporting surface (78), and positioning the griddle plate at a lower position with respect to the utensil supporting surface.
 22. A method in accordance with claim 21 wherein said positioning a grate frame comprises positioning a grate frame having a flame clearance gap defined between the griddle plate and the utensil supporting surface. 